Metallic flume.



A. T. LEAVITT.

METALLIC PLUMB- APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

w M V w W M AVERY T. LEAVIT'I, 01? DENVER, COLORADO,

METALLIC FLUME.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 11, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914. Serial no. 696,795.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AVERY T. LEAVITT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Metallic Flume, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic flumes, and the objects of my in vention are first, to provide a flume of semicircular shaped sheets or sections of galvanized iron or steel or other suitable metal in their commonly made and sold smooth form. Second, to provide a flume of sheets of galvanized iron of the commercially used sizes, in which the connecting joints can be made by overlapping their ends in their natural fiat smooth made form, and third, to provide a simple practical and inexpensive metal water or other liquid conveying flume, that is trussed along its side edges against lateral pressures, and the sections of which have smooth, even, overlapping joints that are free from grooves or other ribbed or intermeshing joints. 1 attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

l igure 1, is a perspective view of a portion of a metallic fiume constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2, is a transverse sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a transverse sectional view of a flume, showing a modification in the form of the strap and clamping cap. Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a portion of afiume, show ing a I'Gll'lfOTClllg band or strip located at the point where the edges of the plates overlap. Fig. 5, is a fragn'icntaiy perspective sectional view, showing the appearance of the overlapping plates and the surrmmding clamping strap. llig. 6, is a perspective view of one of the clamping caps, and Fig. 7, is a side view, showing the im )roved Hume on a supporting structure.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: The numeral 1 designates the sheets of galvanized iron, of which my improved Home is composed. The sheets of galvanized iron used in the construction of the flume may be of any of the standard widths and lengths made and sold for commercial purposes, and are selected as to length to make the size of flume desired. They are then curved in rolls into a semi-circular form, and they are connected in end to end alinement by placing one of the ends of each curved section within and against another and overlapping their ends"- far enough to make a good bearing joint 2. ljhe amount of overlap depends on the semi circular diameter of the flume, a large sized or large diameter flume requiring a larger overlapping joint than a small sized flume. About an inch overlap is sufficient for a small sized flume. This joint 2 between the ends of the sections is thus an overlapping concentric joint made by naturally laying the end of one section within and against the other, and is devoid of inter-meshing channels, grooves, ribs or other forms of made joints stamped, rolled or otherwise especially formed in the connected edges of water conveying flumes in general use. This natural overlapping joint 2 of my improved water conveying tlume presents not only a broad, close bearing surface between the overlapping parts of the sheets, but also presents a smooth and practi ally even surface joint to the How of water on the interior of the Home. lit is necessary, however, that these sections be clamped rigidly together and in a manner that will insure that the plates will lie close enough and tight enough to form a subs antially water tight jointbetween them, and while there may be a number of ways in which this may be accomplished, 1 preferably carry out this feature of my invention in the following manner: I provide a semi-circular band or strap of metal 8, which preferably is a Hat iron band or may be made of some other form of cross section of mercantile bar iron. I use, however, a "r -shaped form of iron bar curved to the same diameter as the outside diameter of the overlapping ends of the connected sections, to overcome the tendency of a send-circular tlumc to change in cross section when running less than full.

The ends of the clamping band are arranged in such a manner that they cooperate with the clamping band to automatically bind the two meeting and connecting ends of the metal sheets firmly together, and it does this without it being necessary to use a clamping band 2 around the inside of the semi-circular sections over the joint, except possibly when a Home is built of so large a semi-circular diameter that the inner sheet of metal will not have enough rigidity to allow a water tight joint to be made by eX- ert-ing pressiu'e upon its upper edge, and it enough to be bent or doubled or folded over circular positions of the sections when assembled into a flunie, and these opposite end portions 4: T term the clamping ends of the straa and the ma be continued out 1on .l c

upon themselves so as to extend back over and against the top edges of the inner sheet of galvanized iron, which inner sheet being of the same length as the outside sheet before being curved, and being laid on the inside of another sheet, its edges project above the edges of the outside sheet, and the ends of the clamping band, when folded over upon themselves, are bent down against the higher edges of the inside sheet. This top portion of the strap 1 call the cap 5, and it slopes upwardly from the terminal end portions of the outer terminal ends of the clamping ends of the strap to the top edge of the inner sheet of the flume, and a space 6, is formed between it and the inner end portions of the clamping ends of the strap, which enables their inner ends when bolted together, to pull up on the outer plate and force down the inner plate. These cap portions are provided with short extreme downwardly turned end portions 7, which are turned down into the inner sheet and against its top side edge. 1 preferably, however, employ cap portions 8, which are entirely independent of the clamping ends 4 of the straps 3. These caps 8, have their ends bent at right angles, as shown at 9, to adapt them to fitdown over the outward ends of the clamping ends of the straps 3, and the edges of the inner plates 1. These cap portions 8 are arranged and adapted to be bolted down to the clamping ends of the straps, whether they are formed as an integral part of the ends of the straps or are made independent of it, and bolts 10 are extended loosely through the straps and through the caps 8 adjacent to their inner ends.

In order to truss the top edges of the sheets against bending laterally along their sides, I bend their top edges outwardly and substantially horizontally, as shown at 11, thus stiffening and trussing them. The clamping action. of the bolts 10 and the caps 8, against the ends of the straps, draws the outside surface of the joint end of each sheet upwardly and forces and crowds the inner sheet down into and closely against the inner edge of the outer sheet. When using the T-form of iron supporting and binding straps, the projecting in portions 12 of the strap may be cut off under thel clamping ends i when narrow sizes are used, in order to form a flat bearing on their under sides for the clamping bolt, but when wide bands are used two bolts may be used, one on each side of the projecting fin, which need not then be used. "l i hen inner supporting straps 2 are used, they are extended up under the turned down inner ends of the caps, as shown in Fig. a, but never longer after l eing curved than the exact length of the inner sheet.

The plates are both formed with trussed or flanged edges, and at the opposite ends of each plate, after this edge is formed, a portion of the flange is cut away to form recesses 13, shown most clearly in t, to receive the thickness of the cap, and these recesses at the ends of the sheets, when the two sheets are bound together by the strap, form a recess at the joint in which the caps set, and these recesses by forming a shoulder on each plate on the opposite side of each cap, prevent the sheets from creeping One within the other from expansion caused by heat or by weight or from any other cause, and they act to steady and hold the sheets more permanently one within the other.

The operation of uniting the rolled sections of galvanized iron or steel sheets and the properly curved and formed supporting and clamping straps together into flunie fori consists of overlapping the edges of the sheets 1, and applying the straps 8 to them, and bolting the ends of the clamping straps 3 and the clamping cap 8 together, as shown, the bolts being screwed up tight to draw the straps and the outer sheets upwardly and press the top inner ends of the straps down onto and against the upper edge of the inner sheets, and the inner sheets down against the uter sheets, thus drawing the smooth overlapping ends of the sheets very tightly together and making a practically water-tight joint between them. The sheets after being fastened together to form a flume, are mounted on stringers 14, which are secured to suitably positioned and supported posts 15.

My invention provides an inexpensive and simple fluine that can be very quickly put together and in operative water or other fluid conveying position for irrigation or other purposes.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a water or other liquid conveying flume, the combination with the semi-circular sections overlapping each other at their end portions, with the strap extending around the outside section over the overlapping ends of said sections, with outwardly extending end portions, and the caps on said end portions bearing on the upper edges of said inner section, said outWard ends of said strap and said caps having a space between them adjacent to said sections, and means for clamping said caps to said ends to force the overlapping ends of said sections together, said sections being provided With flanged edges which extend longitudinally along each section.

2. In a Water or other conveying metal flume, the combination of sheets of metal bent to stand With substantially horizontal edges and to fit one Within the other, and of such relative length that the inner sheet projects above the outer sheet, said sheets being positioned to overlap each other and to fit closely together at their connecting overlapping ends, a metal strap of the shape of said sheets arranged to fit around the outer side of said overlapping ends, and having outwardly extending terminal portions, and clamping caps secured at their inner ends to the terminal end portions of the ends of said strap and arranged to extend over and bear against that portion oi the inner sheet that bears against the end portion or the outer sheet, and means including a belt or bolts for clamping said caps to the end of said strap, said caps and the ends of said strap being so relatively arranged adjacent to said inner and outer sheets that they can be clamped together by said bolt in such a manner that said strap draws up against the bottom of said sheets and the caps force the inner sheets down against the overlapping edge of the outer sheet, whereby a strong and substantially Water holding joint is made between said sheets.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

AVERY T. LEAVITT.

lVitnesses:

G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ADELLA M. FOWLE.

Qopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. G. 

